


A True Sleeping Beauty

by Noon30ish



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dense Yuuri, Fluff, Foot Massage, Hot Springs & Onsen, M/M, Massage, Mild Body Worship, Pining Viktor, Viktor is so hopelessly in love it hurts, back massage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-16 23:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9294425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noon30ish/pseuds/Noon30ish
Summary: Viktor gives Yuuri a massage after a long day of practice.AKA The Viktor-centric fic where he pines helplessly.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I originally had this scene as a plot point in an AU I'm working on but I just had to write it. So, hey, you might see it again somewhere sometime in the distant future? And I mean distant, because I'm entering my last semester of college and it's going to be B U S Y.
> 
> Here, have some pining fluff in the meantime.
> 
> Loosely based on Shape of You by Ed Sheeran (because I was listening to it nonstop while writing this if nothing else indicates that idk what to tell you).

Viktor stretched, his hands clasping together at his furthest reach. The twinge in his muscles ached and the groan that caught in his throat morphed into a yawn. Systematically relaxing, he took a step into the hot springs.

It had been a long day at the rink. Yuuri refused to stop until he had perfected both short and free programs, even though that meant repeating the same step sequences more times than Viktor cared to count. Hell, he had even told Yuuri to stop, but quitting really wasn't either of their strong suits. Viktor had settled with taking his own skates off to watch Yuuri from afar. In sweats and a baggy sweater, Yuuri still danced across the ice, music echoing louder than the blades on the ice.

Which would have been perfectly normal if the CD player was still plugged in.

The water was hot, near scalding, but a welcoming reprieve from the chilly air. It made the miniscule hairs on his legs stand at attention before they were submerged. The water made his skin tingle where it washed over the goosebumps. Steeling himself, he sat down, all at once, covered to his torso. Ripples disturbed the surface, glowing from the lights underneath.

He would be eternally grateful to Yuuri's mother for keeping the hot springs open after closing time just for them. Well, just for him, really. Yuuri didn't join him in the hot springs often. He usually waited until Viktor was done, or he would get in before Viktor did and leave when he showed up. It hurt a little, but Viktor had just assumed it was their little game.

Tonight, however, Yuuri slid open the glass door, stepping out with a towel hanging gracefully from his hips. Viktor caught a look out of the corner of his eye, but didn't turn his head. He knew Yuuri didn't like being looked at when he had so few clothes on. It felt more like a contradiction to Viktor, who vividly remembered a similar style of dress at the banquet, but he didn't question it. Whatever backpedaling had happened in the months between the banquet and now, it didn't matter.

Clearly Yuuri thought the banquet had been a bad first impression and was trying to restart. He'd said as much that day on the beach.

_I want you to stay who you are, Viktor!_

_Stay who I am, huh?_ Viktor pursed his lips, lost in thought.

He wasn't going to lie. An unnamed thrill had run through him at hearing those words. It was almost a challenge, and to think of having to be yourself as a challenge was something rare indeed. But there Yuuri had been, telling him that whatever it was they had tried to be, it wasn't going to cut it if he wanted to grow as a skater. Well, more or less.

Viktor held back for Yuuri. He would be there and be open to Yuuri when he needed him. If that was going to be how Viktor could know him better, then so be it. He really didn't care; he'd already flown halfway across the world to be this close that there was no way he'd quit now. So what? Yuuri wasn't as outgoing as he'd initially been? That wasn't surprising, now that Viktor thought back on it. Alcohol did wondrous things to one's confidence. If anything, the shy, endearing, roundabout nature of Yuuri was just as much fun as the sexy, confident, forward Yuuri.

Perhaps it was time he stopped pretending, too.

"Uh, Viktor?"

Startled but not showing it, Viktor opened his eyes to find that Yuuri was sitting in the hot springs across from him. The watery light was dancing in luminescence across his body, curving over and around his figure. It was perplexing just how stealthy Yuuri could be sometimes, in more ways than one. They were in the narrower part of the baths, so their knees could brush if Viktor leaned out just a little. But he didn't. "Hm?"

Their eyes met. "You okay? You've been really quiet today," there was a tinge of concern in his voice that matched his soft amber eyes.

Viktor smiled lazily. "I didn't know you liked being praised that much."

The blush he saw on Yuuri's face was worth the tease. But instead of giving Viktor any further satisfaction, Yuuri sighed and sucked in a long breath. Then his head plunged under, the surface bubbling. When he reemerged, his hair was tossed back and he smoothed it with his hands. Viktor narrowed his eyes at the retaliation because damn it all if he didn't think Yuuri did that on purpose.

Yuuri's eyes had remained closed and he let out a small noise of frustration. "Jeez, and I worked so hard today, too."

"You should have ended practice when I told you to," Viktor chided.

Yuuri glared at him, but the pout on his lips told something different. He didn't answer, didn't need to. Instead, leaning back against the pool's ridge, he let his head fall back as he brought his arms out of the water. He lifted them high, inspecting them, and rubbed one forearm up over the bicep. Viktor noticed the wince. His own arm twitched in sympathy pain, yearning to close the distance. He even felt bad for reprimanding him. But which "real" Viktor should he be right now? His coach? His... friend? Which _part_ of Viktor was Yuuri trying to reach out for?

Yuuri then brought his leg to his chest and put his hands back under. Viktor saw that he was attempting to soothe his feet. Viktor knew all too well the physical toll that came from long hours of skating.

"Here," Viktor beckoned out before he could think it through, "let me help with that."

Yuuri refocused his blank stare with a questioning hum and realized a split second later what Viktor had asked. "N-no!" he stiffened, inching away. Damn. "You don't need to do that! I'm f-fine."

"Yuuri," Viktor drew out his name, low in tone, "as your coach, I can't let you get hurt before the Grand Prix series starts. I want you to be in top form when you compete."

As your coach, as your coach, as your coach. Always as your coach. It was the only thing that Viktor could say that would make Yuuri open up just a little more. It gave him the idea that they were only their profession and nothing else. But Yuuri had told him to be himself, and whenever he was, Yuuri retreated into the shadows again. Or, he would skate _Eros_ with far more efficacy and leave Viktor more than breathless. He really couldn't predict which way Yuuri would react.

A heel settled on the top of his knee. Viktor followed the limb back to Yuuri, who looked satisfied with his request. "You're right. The Cup of China is soon. I want to be ready for─"

He had swallowed his voice. Viktor's fingers gripped onto the arch of his foot, pressing into the softest, most vulnerable section. He felt Yuuri tense underneath his touch and shiver despite the warmth of the hot springs. Viktor thought about apologizing, but Yuuri didn't vocally deny any of this, so he continued. The pads of his thumbs pressed little circles while his other fingers rolled over the top of the foot. The muscle spasms tensed and relaxed, resisted and stretched, all inconsistent. Viktor imagined his own feet feeling the same way─ it didn't take much effort. His feet would cry out after strenuous practices and he always had to deal with it alone. He didn't want Yuuri to have to do that. And Yuuri deserved this, Viktor reasoned; he'd done well at the block championships. This was his reward. Yeah.

Viktor moved one hand to Yuuri's heel, fingers ghosting around his ankle. He looked to Yuuri for permission only to find that the Japanese man was simply laying there, eyes closed and his nostrils flaring slightly in a long exhale. Viktor stared at his lips longer than he should have. He massaged a little higher, their skin pressed together just a little bit more. Viktor focused wholly on his ministrations, careful to make sure they didn't hurt and that Yuuri was comfortable. His hands, without realizing it, had travelled up to Yuuri's calf, where he was especially sore. He worked at the muscles there, kneading and circling and slowly tapping his fingers against the skin. Nothing in Viktor's uncensored imagination of how Yuuri's body would feel quite matched the intricacies he now saw, being so close. Slave to his thoughts, he let his hands wander further...

Yuuri's leg was yanked from his grasp. Shocked, Viktor looked up to see that Yuuri's face was red, whether from the steam or something else, he couldn't place it.

"U-uh, Viktor, what─ what are you...?" He was stammering, and Viktor hazarded a guess as to why. Damnit.

"Oh, sorry, Yuuri. You were very tense. I just thought I'd help out," Viktor paused, "as your coach."

Yuuri took Viktor's words into account and splashed his face with the hot water. Deciding on something, he put his other foot onto Viktor's lap. "Continue, then."

Viktor wanted nothing more than to do just as Yuuri said. Under such a pretense, maybe Yuuri was poking fun at him as well, catching onto the 'as your coach' gag. Although it wasn't necessarily all a joke: Viktor wanted Yuuri to succeed. And _he_ was the reason Yuuri was doing so well. Wow, he didn't think he'd ever catch himself being so conceited.

Conceited or not, he continued looking after Yuuri. Soon, his hands had finished massaging his other calf and it looked like they'd have to separate once again. Viktor closed his eyes and tried to commit the entirety of the sensations to memory before letting Yuuri's leg go.

The leg floated for a moment, its shape shifting with the water's reflections, but just as lean as ever. Yuuri pushed it back down. "Thanks, Viktor. That was nice," Yuuri's voice hitched on the last word and he looked like he was sweating.

Viktor was about to say that maybe they should get out of the hot springs when Yuuri stood. The water level resided at the lowest level of Yuuri's hips, tantalizingly near the one place Viktor had to visibly stop himself from checking out. He shifted his gaze to Yuuri's eyes, hoping he hadn't been caught. But Yuuri's features displayed an unspoken question. Once again, Viktor felt just as unsure as Yuuri looked.

"Can you─ um, my back isn't─" Yuuri gulped down. "I think I hurt it when I fell doing one of my quads. So..."

Viktor chuckled quietly, his lips pulling into a small smile. "Okay," he said as he shifted, trying to look as _least suggestive_ as possible while he opened his legs and pat the space in between. "Sit here."

Yuuri nodded, probably thankful that he didn't have to ask directly. Viktor thought it was adorable, the way that Yuuri would rather show than tell. Adorably frustrating at times, but adorable nonetheless. Yuuri spun around, the water sloshing and splashing Viktor's chest. Viktor timed the sharp intake of breath with Yuuri planting himself at the edge of the underwater seat at Viktor's knees, hoping that the noise of the water settling would hide his pathetic anticipation. Yuuri's heat in front of him outmatched the heat of the hot springs. Drowning his pride, as if he hadn't lost it already, he set to work again, touching gently to make sure Yuuri didn't jump away from him.

"You can do it harder than that, I'm not going to break," Yuuri said in earnest now that his face was hidden.

Viktor's mind leaped when he forced his body to stay still. Yuuri knew how that sounded, right? No, stop it. Of course Yuuri was talking about the massage. He was letting Viktor do this on the grounds of him being a good coach, so there was no way he could just flip his switch like that, right? Rather than dwelling on it, Viktor pressed harder into Yuuri's shoulders.

His fingers dug and pushed, pulled and stretched, at each muscle, guessing based off of his own experience where the worst of it would be. On a particularly hard press with the heel of his palm under Yuuri's shoulder blade, a low, shuddering moan vibrated against him. Then Yuuri gasped, his hands springing out of the water to clap his face.

Viktor halted, realizing that a smirk had pulled at his lips. "Yuuri, what was that?"

"N-n-n-nothing!" Yuuri started to shimmy away, but Viktor's hands had clasped onto his shoulders.

Viktor decided to venture, feeling braver knowing Yuuri couldn't see his expression either. "It felt good, right?"

Yuuri hesitated. He nodded slowly, still not turning around. "Yeah... um, please continue. Please."

Viktor, concerned that he might have overstepped his boundary, lifted himself out of the hot springs and sat on the edge. Even if he wanted to proceed, to glean that noise from his skater again, he wasn't going to force anything. He also didn't want Yuuri to notice something that was starting to become... prominent.

Yuuri had angled his head, the beginning of a question on his lips, but he promptly turned away when he saw what he was exactly eye level with. It was a quick glance, but Yuuri didn't try to escape the situation. Viktor sighed. He wasn't sure if that meant what he thought it meant. Not wanting to rack his brain, he took where they were for what it was and put his hands back onto Yuuri's shoulders, willing what bothered him to disappear. Yuuri's well-being mattered more to him than his own satisfaction. Besides, prolonged touches like this between them practically never happened. He would take what he could get if it meant Yuuri would stay by his side just a tiny bit longer.

A few minutes in and Viktor noticed the air was significantly cooler outside of the hot springs. His midsection quivered, followed by several short convulsions that spiraled from his chest down his arms and legs. He tried his best to suppress them, clenching his teeth. He'd seen winters in Russia that were colder than this. Perhaps he was growing soft. Well, _something_ had gone soft, to his relief.

"Um, Viktor?" Yuuri broke the comfortable silence, his body removed from Viktor's touch. "You can come back into the hot springs if you're cold."

Viktor paused, realizing Yuuri wasn't moving to run away, but moving so that Viktor could go back to sitting behind him. Still... "I'm fine."

"You're shivering," Yuuri pointed out, invitation left unsaid.

Viktor acquiesced, exhaling contentedly when the hot water greeted his skin again. Not thinking, he wrapped his arms around Yuuri, succumbing to the warmth all at once, like he had before Yuuri's performance at the first competition he had in the season. But unlike last time, Yuuri didn't push away on his skates. In fact, in this moment after Yuuri tensed, he began to ease up immediately. The first time, Yuuri hadn't relaxed at all, so this was a welcoming improvement. Viktor could blame either the hot springs or the massage. Or both.

Either way, the feeling of Yuuri's back to his chest was a comfort he felt he could indulge in, even if it was just for a minute. Holding completely still, Viktor listened to Yuuri breathe and felt the rise and fall of his lungs pushing against him and retreating only to push again. It was a steady beat. Mesmerized, he let his head fall to the nape of Yuuri's neck, pressing his cheek to Yuuri's pulse instead of his lips at the last second. Boundaries. Yuuri's pulse was melodic. Music floated to his ears, the music of seagulls crying above the ocean, the music of tender winds caressing the leaves on every tree, the music of home and the music of longing. _Please, whatever powers above listening, let us stay here..._

There was a tap on his shoulder. Stunned, Viktor pulled back and already missed the warmth on his cheek. Yuuri reacted similarly and retracted his finger. "Um, are you going to finish...?"

Viktor had to stop daydreaming. It was unbecoming of him to act so emotionally. So, he masked it.

"My," he purred, "Yuuri's greedy today."

"I didn't tell you when you could stop," Yuuri's voice deepened in response, out of nowhere in a moment of audacity.

Pleased with the development, Viktor hummed and carried on. He massaged down Yuuri's back, teasing and testing how low he could go before Yuuri's bravado quit. To his surprise, as he kneaded his fist into Yuuri's lower back, Yuuri moaned, but softer this time. Despite knowing he wouldn't be seen, Viktor still attempted to hide the blush that threatened to creep onto his cheeks. His hands moved back up, rolling and smoothing over the spine and fanning out over the ribcage with tender attention. It must have tickled slightly, because Yuuri rolled his shoulders a couple times to dissipate the sensations. Viktor smirked but kept to his job, earning that moan with every dip.

It continued like so for a few minutes until Yuuri's moans had quieted so much they were barely audible. Viktor, who had been relishing the beautiful sounds, frowned when Yuuri no longer responded to him. Trying one more time, Yuuri's body fell back onto Viktor's like dead weight, making Viktor's lungs expel more air than he had in him. He instinctively braced his arms around Yuuri to hold his face above the water's surface.

"Yuuri...?" Viktor mustered when he was able to breathe again.

Not getting a response, Viktor shifted around so he could look at Yuuri's face a little more directly. His eyes were closed, no crease lines in sight. His cheeks were puffed and his lips were parted, huffing small breaths that condensed in the night air, billowing upward.

He had fallen asleep.

No wonder Yuuri had never let Viktor sleep with him. He looked positively, radiantly, ethereally _gorgeous_. A true sleeping beauty.

Viktor reached out and tentatively brushed the back of his hand over Yuuri's forehead, sweeping stray hairs, and across his cheek. If he had to describe it later, he'd say it felt soft, like cashmere, or that it was calm, like chamomile tea before bed, or unbearably cute, like when he'd gotten Makkachin as a puppy. But no matter how he framed it, the truest form of the sensation would never compare, and might never happen again. He clung to it, repeating the motion once, twice, three more times, each as treasured as the last.

 _Hopeless_ , he thought at last, _I'm hopeless._

Convincing himself to stop had been the difficult part. But once he had, he had to figure out what to do next. He could wake Yuuri and tell him that it was probably time to leave the hot springs. That might be too jarring, to wake him in such a compromising position just to separate. Or, at least, that's how Viktor saw it. Mentally punching himself, he surrendered to his feelings.

Viktor stood with his arms hooked under Yuuri's knees and back, cradling him gingerly. He walked over to the door and paused. Neither of them had towels on. Granted, everyone in the house would be asleep, but they were both still soaked. He brought them into the bathing area and walked over to the towel rack, awkwardly dragging one off the shelf to cover Yuuri and another on top of that for himself. Content with his plan, he carefully readjusted his grip on Yuuri and walked into the house.

The house was dim with only the tiny decorative lights that hung from the rafters lighting his path. His feet padded quietly across the guest area, past the foyer, and toward the private part of the residence. The only sound apart his steps were Yuuri's quiet, even breaths. When he got to Yuuri's door, he used his elbow to slide it open as quietly as possible.

Now, how was he going to dry Yuuri off?

He couldn't just lay Yuuri on his bed and leave him there with a towel over him. Not only was that inconsiderate, but it was a sure way for Yuuri to never trust him again. So, he set Yuuri down in his chair and put one towel on the desk for later. With the other towel, he slowly patted down Yuuri's arms and chest, wiping away any beads of water that remained. He skipped down to dry Yuuri's legs and feet, then hesitated, kneeling on the floor and looking up at Yuuri's peaceful face. In sleep, Yuuri's masks had fallen, too. Viktor swore he would see a maskless Yuuri, _awake_ , before the Grand Prix series was over. Maybe even before the Cup of China was over, but perhaps he was being too optimistic, sitting here in the dark and roving his eyes over Yuuri. He almost felt like a creep. Biting his lip and shaking his head, he ignored his own desires to towel off the rest of Yuuri.

Believing Yuuri was all dry, Viktor got up and peeled back the covers on the bed. There was a quiet, sliding sound behind him. He spun around and nearly dove down on the ground, catching Yuuri's falling body as best he could. He froze in place, waiting for Yuuri to wake and scream. When nothing of the sort happened, Viktor opened his eyes that he didn't know were closed. He was on his knees, completely sure they were skinned and would burn tomorrow, but Yuuri lay safe encircled by him. His sigh came out shaky.

Viktor put him in the bed, pulled the covers snug, and left the room before his heart could say otherwise. He could just as easily have tucked himself in next to Yuuri, could have cuddled him, could have fallen asleep next to him in bliss. But Yuuri wouldn't want that. If he barely allowed a hug, there was _no way_ he would allow their naked bodies to press against each other in his bed, let alone for a whole night.

Viktor went back to his room with the other towel, dried off, and settled into his own bed. Makkachin woke from his spot at the foot of the bed to snuggle his way into Viktor's arms, sensing that his owner needed a special sort of comfort that night.


End file.
